Norway's tunnel improvements

Tougher legislation on tunnel safety means that Norway will have to invest heavily in upgrading underground road links. Many of the country's existing road tunnels were built in the 1980s and 1990s and no longer meet the latest European requirements on road tunnels, introduced after two disasters that caused major fatalities in Switzerland and Austria. A new study suggests that the country's road tunnels may require up to €890 million to meet the current requirements. The Norwegian road authority's western division says that it will need to spend some €496 million at the end of 2011, a substantial increase from the €147 million spent in 2006. Norway has 1,050 tunnels in its total road network and the cost of the upgrades required will be revealed shortly in a detailed report being produced by the road authority, 1208 Statens Vegvesen. Although Norway and Switzerland are not in the EC, the countries do agree on certain legislation such as road safety with 3287 EU member nations.